Coin-controlled vending-machine.



PAT-SNTED APR. 26, 1904. w. T. DREW. I 00m CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 9, 1902.

.IO IQDEL.

Q 1 U IQ! I 0 ue} INVENTOR BY WA,

ATTORNEY WITNESSES PATENTED APR. 26, 1904.

3 SHBBTS-SHEET 2.

- lNVENTOR ww 9;

. 1b S M ATTORNEY w. T. DREW. COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED no. 9, 1902. up monnn.

- WITNESSES: %7 filu- PATENTED APR. 26, 1904.

a SHEETS-SHEET a.

III/I'II/IIIIL W. T. DREW. COIN CONTROLLED VENDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 9. 1902.

11.0 MODEL.

INVENTOR W .49...

4,, ATTORNEY w: Noam; PETERS co.. FNOTO-LITHQ. wAsnmn'rou. n. c.

WILLIAM T. DREW, OF NEW YORK,

Patented April 26, 1904.

PATENT, Oriuca N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES F. .REID, OF NEW YORK. N. Y.

COIN-CONTROLLED VENDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 7 58,587, dated April 26, 1904;

Application filed DeOe nberQ, 1902.

.To (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that LWILLIAM T.DREW, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coin-Controlled Vending-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to coin controlled vending-machines, and 1 have illustrated my invention in connection with prepayment gasmeters wherein by the dropping of a coin a normally locked mechanism may be turned a predetermined distance to open the gas-inlet valve, and the normal working of the, meter operates automatically to close the said valve after the prepaid supply has been furnished.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figure 1 is a top view of a gas-meter and the vending mechan' ism attached thereto, the covers being removed. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the plane of the line 2 2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the plane of the line 3 3 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the plane of the line 4: 4: of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the plane of line 5 5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is an elevation on the plane of the line 6 6 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a detailed view of the inlet-Valve. Fig. 8 is a front View of a'meter-case having the prepayment device attached thereto, and Fig. 9 is a detailed sectional view of. the valveoperating parts. v

Referring to the drawings, a designates a gas-meter the interior mechanism of which (not shown in the drawings) is of any usual or ordinary construction.

a is a casing fastened to one side of the meter-casing aand containing the prepayment mechanism, the lower part of said casing a serving as a till or coin-receptacle.

' a is a casing containing the inlet-valve b, which controls the flow of gas.

indicates the gas-inlet pipe connected by the usual means to a source of supply, and (0 indicates the outlet for the gas from the meter.

Serial No. 134,565. (No model.)

I shall now describe the prepayment mechanism. This comprises a coin-carrier consisting of two barrels 0 and d, arranged concentrically. The journal 0 of the barrel 0 has a bearing in the side wall of the casing a, and said journal has secured at its outer end a suitable handle 0, by means of which the barrel 0 may be rotated. The other journal, 0 of the barrel 0 has a bearing in the journal cl of the barrel d, which latter journal has a bearing in a bracket 61 secured to the inner wall of the casing a. The rotating barrel or cylinder c has a coin slot or recess 0 formed therein and adapted to receive and hold a coin proper to the machine. The coin-slot is adapted to register with slot a in the top of casing 60, whereby the coin can be inserted .into the machine. The barrel or cylinder (Z fits snugly upon the barrelcand rotates thereon Without binding. The barrel d is also slotted at diametrically opposite points d the slot 0 being brought alternately into alinement with the slots d have more slots than indicated 'in the drawings, the only requisite being that the coin should not be ejected until the mechanism for opening the gas-inlet valve shall be moved to its proper position. The slot 0 extends diametrically of the barrel 0 and is of less depth than the diameter of the coin, so that when the proper coin is dropped into the slot 0 a portion of the coin projects into the slot (Z which is in alinement with slot 0 The purpose of this is to provide a means for rotating the barrel d, as hereinafter described. A guard-plate d extends from the top wall of the casing a about the barrels 0 and d and serves not only as a guide for the coin into and out of the coin-slots in said barrels, but prevents any tampering with the interior mechanism. The barrel (Z fits snugly against the wall of the guard cl and renders it impossible to insert a string or wire to retain or withdraw the coin or to operate the mechan ism. Said guard also prevents the coin being ejected before the proper time.

From the above description it will be observed that when no coin is in the coin-slots the barrel 0 is free to turn within the barrel The barrel d may (Z without any movement of the latter, the rotary movement of the barrel 0 in the present example of my improvement being one hundred and eighty degrees, the limits being provided by stops 0" and 0" on the outer side of the casing a, placed diametrically opposite each other. The barrel (Z is normally locked that is, it is capable of movement only when interlocked with the barrel 0, and this interlocking movement is effected by the coin projecting into the slot 01 as described, it being apparent that when so placed the coin will bear against the edge of the slot d thereby imparting the rotary movement of the barre] 0 to the barrel d until the coin is ejected. The rotation of the barrel (Z insures the opening of the gas-inlet valve through the following means:

On the periphery of the barrel (1 and at one end thereof, so as to not interfere with the insertion of a coin in the slot d there is rigidly secured a gear-wheel e, which meshes with a pinion e, free to rotate about the journal f of the worm f. The journals of the worm f have hearings in the side walls of the easing a. Secured to the pinion e and caused to rotate by the worm f is a frame consisting of end pieces g g, which encircle the Worm, and rods g parallel with each other and extending between said end pieces g and g. The said rods 9 support a circumferentiallygrooved wheel or carriage It, having a follower h on its inner periphery, which engages the worm f Seated in the groove of the wheel 7L, so as to be advanced thereby longitudinally of the Worm, but not partaking of the rotary movement of said Wheel, is 'a band or yoke if, provided with a depending arm it, having a projecting pin I1 which pin engages an arm 7', rigidly attached to a rock-shaft i. The arm it passes through and is supported by a slotted plate 7L5 and has at its lower end a second arm [L6 to operate the means indicating the amount of gas paid for and still to the credit of the user, as hereinafter set forth. The said shaft z" is journaled in a bearing in the walls of the casings a and a and extends into the latter and has secured to it an arm 17. The free end of the arm 2" is bifurcated and engages a pin 2' secured in the stem 11 of the valve 7: in the gas-inlet pipe. The wall a in the casing a extends over the valve v1? and prevents any tampering with the valve 2 should the gas-inlet pipe be uncoupled.

The operation of the mechanism so far described is obvious. hen it is desired to obtain a supply of gas, the barrel 0 is rotated, by means of the handle 0, until the slot 0 is in alinement with one of the slots d of the barrel d, as shown in Fig. 3. The insertion of a coin proper for the machine interlocks the barrels c and d, and the rotation of the handle 0 causes both barrels a and d to rotate until the coin is ejected into the bottom of the casing a. During this rotation of the barrels the wheel a rotates the pinion e, and thereby the frame mounted upon the worm f. A spring-pawl e" prevents any backward movement of the pinion 6. During this rotation of the frame the worm remains stationary; but by reason of engagement with the worm the wheel or carriage h is caused to move longitudinally of the worm. This longitudinal movement causes the pin 71. to raise the arm 2' and by the movement of the rock-shaft vi to open the valve The pitch of the worm f may be made as desired, so as to advance the pin it a predetermined distance, according to the number of the coins inserted. If, for example, the capacity of the machine is limited to two dollars worth of gas and the machine is adapted for the insertion of twenty-five-cent pieces, the pitch of the worm should be such that eight successive payments of twenty-five cent pieces will carry the wheel 72. from one end to the other of the worm. After the first coinhas been ejected the barrel 0, being free to rotate, is turned back to its original position and is then in alinement with, the other of the openings J and ready to receive the next coin. I

Another part of my invention relates to the mechanism for automatically closing the gasinlet valve after theprepaid supply has been furnished. To effect this, I utilize the normal working of the meter when registering the amount of gas consumed. Thus, referring to Fig. 1, upon the shaft 7:, which is actuated through the usual means illustrated to set in motion the train of registering devices contained within the casing a, is suspended a bracket Z by means of ears Z. The shaft k carries a worm 71:, which engages a wheel m, keyed or otherwise secured to a shaft 011/, the inner end of said shaft having a bearing in the bracket Z. From the manner of suspending the bracket Z a swinging movement is permissible, thus allowing for a longitudinal movement of shaft m without disturbing the relation between the worm in and wheel m. The other end of shaft 712/ has a bearing in the walls of the casings a and a and is extended within the casing a. The squared end of the shaft 921. within the casing a carries a wheel a, which wheel meshes with a wheel 0, mounted on a stud 0, projecting from a swinging arm 0 Alongside of the wheel a and also mounted upon the stud n is a pinion p, which engages a wheel 7), rigidly secured to the worm f. When the gas is being consumed, the rotation of' the shaft 71: through the train of gearing above described rotates the worm f, thereby moving the wheel h and pin it in a direction opposite to that to which they were moved when the gas-inlet valve was being opened. Such reverse movement of the pin 7&3 toward its original position causes the closing movement of the valve i to begin, and the closure is effected at the moment the pin [L3 resumes its normal position-that is, when the full amount of gas for which prepayment was made shall have been consumed. As shown in Fig.5, the lever dis provided with a shoulder which is engaged by the pin b at the moment of consumption of the amount of gas for which prepayment was made, the movement of the pin b against said shoulder effecting complete closure of the gas-inlet valve.

The wheel n is what is known as the pricewheel. Said wheel is not keyed to the shaft m, but is held thereon by a guard-plate q, depending from stud 0'. The wheel n is interchangeable, and to effect its easy removal the arm o is pivoted upon the axle of the worm f, so that said arm, and thereby the wheel 0, may be raised out of contact with the wheel n and so that .said wheel 0 may be adjusted to different positions to accommodate different-size wheels 17.. The free end of the arm 0 is provided with a pin adapted to move in the slot r of a bracket 7" and to be held in any desired position by means of a set-screw r While I have described my invention as applied to a gas-vending machine, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself thereto, as the invention can be used to dispense measured quantities of liquids and the like. 4

If desired, a counter 8 may be attached to the casing at, its actuating-wheel a being set to engage the wheel 6 of the barrel cl. Such provision keeps an accurate record of the number of rotations of the barrel (1, and consequently of the number of coins paid. Means operated by the frame traveling on the worm f may also be adopted to indicate the amount of gas paid for and still to the credit of the user, as indicated at t. This latter, however, forms no part of my invention.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a coin-controlled vending apparatu the combination of a rotative coin-receptacle, a gas-inlet valve, and means to open and close said valve comprising a wheel or carriage, a non-rotative member carried by said carriage, means to impart to said carriage rotary and rectilineal movements to open the valve and a redtilineal movement only in a reverse direction to close the valve.

2. In a coin-controlled vending apparatus the combination of arotative coin-receptacle, a gas-inlet valve, a worm, a wheel or carriage engaging said worm, a non-rotative yoke carried by said carriage and connected to said valve, and means actuated by the rotation of the coin-receptacle to impart rotary and rectilineal movements to said carriage on said worm. r v

3. In a coin-controlled vending apparatus the combination of a rotative coin-receptacle, a gas-inlet valve, a worm, a pinion free to rotate about the journal of said worm and actuated' by the rotation of the coin-receptacle, a

frame connected to said pinion, av wheel or carriage carried by said frame and operatively connected to said gas-inlet valve and to said worm, substantially as described.

4.'In a coin-controlled vending apparatus the combination of two independently-rotatable members having provision for rotative connection by a coin, a gas-inlet valve, a worm, a frame supporting a wheel or carriage which engages said worm, means for-positively rotating said frame and advancing said wheel .on the worm, and a non-rotative yoke carried by said wheel whereby said valve vmay be opened upon the rotation of the coin-receptacle.

, 5. In a coin-controlled vending apparatus the combination of a rotative coin-receptacle, a gas-inlet valve, a worm, a wheel or carriage engaging said worm, means actuated by the rotation of the coin-receptacle to impart'ro tary and rectilineal movements to said carriage on said worm, a band loosely mounted on said carriage and adapted to partake only of the rectilineal movements of the carriage and a suitable connection between said band and the gas-inlet valve whereby said valve may be opened upon the rotation of the coin-receptacle. V

6. In a coin-controlled vending apparatus the combination of a rotative coin-receptacle, a gas-inlet valve, a worm, a wheel or carriage engaging said worm and connected to said gas-inlet valve by a non-rotative member, means actuated by the rotation of the coin-receptacle to impart rotary and rectilineal movements to said carriage on said worm and means actuated by the meter registering mechanism for rotating said worm to reverse the rectilineal movement of said carriage.

7. In a coin-controlled vending apparatus the combination of a rotative coin-receptacle, a gas-inlet valve, a worm, a wheel or carriage engaging said worm, means actuated by the rotation of the coin-receptacle to impart rotary and rectilineal movements to said carriage on said worm, a rock-shaft, an arm connecting the rock-shaft with said valve and an arm mounted on said rock-shaft adapted to be controlled by the rectilineal movement of said carriage whereby the opening of the valve is effected by the rotation of the coin-receptacle.

8. In a coin-controlled vending apparatus the combination of a rotative coin-receptacle, a gas-inlet valve, a worm, a pinion free to rotate about the journal of said worm and actuated by the rotation of the coin-receptacle, a frame connected to said pinion, a wheel or ,carriage carried by said frame and operatively connected to said worm, a band loosely mounted on the periphery of said wheel and having a suitable connection with said-gas-inlet valve.

9. In a coin-controlled vending apparatus the combination of a rotative coin-receptacle, a gas-inlet valve, a rock-shaft havinga connection to said valve, an arm having a shoulder thereon and secured to said shaft, a ,wheel carrying a non-rotative yoke, a projecting pin on said yoke adapted to engage said arm and shoulder and means to impart to said carriage rotary and rectilineal movements to open the valve and a rectilineal movement only in a reverse direction to close the valve.

10. In a coin-controlled vending apparatus the combination of a rotative coin-receptacle, a gas-inlet valve, a worm, a wheel or carriage engaging said worm and connected to said gasinlet valve, a pinion intermediate the coin-receptacle and said worm and mounted loosely on the journal of said worm whereby rotary and rectilineal movements may be imparted to said carriage on said worm upon the rotation of the coin-receptacle, a gear-wheel secured to said Worm and means actuated by the meter registering mechanism to rotate said Worm during the consumption of gas to thereby effect the closing of the gas-inlet valve.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.-

WILLIAM T. DREW. 

